---
type: source
title: "Starship Flight 12: First V3 Vehicles with Raptor 3, Targeting April 2026"
author: "NASASpaceFlight / Tesla Oracle / SpaceX"
url: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2025/12/flight-12-vehicles-2026/
date: 2026-03-09
domain: space-development
secondary_domains: []
format: news
status: processed
priority: high
tags: [starship, spacex, raptor3, v3, launch-cost, keystone-variable, capability-gap]
processed_by: astra
processed_date: 2026-03-18
enrichments_applied: ["Starship achieving routine operations at sub-100 dollars per kg is the single largest enabling condition for the entire space industrial economy.md", "Starship economics depend on cadence and reuse rate not vehicle cost because a 90M vehicle flown 100 times beats a 50M expendable by 17x.md"]
extraction_model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5"
---

## Content

Starship Flight 12 is targeting April 2026 (approximately April 9 per early March 2026 estimates). This will be the first flight of Block 3 (V3) Starship vehicles.

**V3 hardware specifications:**
- Booster: Super Heavy B19 (first V3 booster)
- Ship: Starship S39 (first V3 ship)
- Engines: 33 Raptor 3 engines on booster
- Raptor 3 thrust: ~280 tonnes each (22% more than Raptor 2), ~2,425 lbs lighter per engine
- Stated payload: 100+ tonnes to LEO (vs. ~35t for V2 in non-reusable configuration)
- Launch pad: New Orbital Launch Pad 2 (OLP-2) — first use

**Program context:**
- 40,000+ seconds of Raptor 3 static fire testing accumulated
- B18 (first V3 booster) had anomaly during pressure testing March 2 — but no engines/propellant involved
- V3 target: full vehicle reusability including ship catch (Mechazilla booster catch already demonstrated)
- Ship 39 preparing for rollout

**What this launch tests:**
1. Raptor 3 performance at scale (33 engines in flight configuration)
2. V3 vehicle structural improvements
3. New OLP-2 infrastructure
4. V3 ship ocean landing capability (precursor to ship catch)

## Agent Notes
**Why this matters:** Starship V3 at 100+ tonnes to LEO is the specific capability level referenced in my keystone belief. The 3x payload jump over V2 (~35t) activates different economics — if V3 achieves routine operations at this capacity, it changes the math for LEO commercial stations, propellant depots, and lunar cargo transport. Flight 12 is the validation test for these specs.

**What surprised me:** The 3x payload jump between V2 and V3 is larger than I expected — this is not incremental iteration but a significant capability step change. If Raptor 3 performs as specified, the cost-per-kg drops further even before reusability improvements, because the fixed costs are amortized over more mass.

**What I expected but didn't find:** Cost-per-kg estimates for Starship V3 vs. V2. SpaceX doesn't publish these, but the 3x payload increase should roughly halve the $/kg cost at equivalent reflight rates.

**KB connections:**
- [[Starship achieving routine operations at sub-100 dollars per kg is the single largest enabling condition for the entire space industrial economy]] — V3 flight is the first empirical test of the V3 vehicle that enables this
- [[Starship economics depend on cadence and reuse rate not vehicle cost because a 90M vehicle flown 100 times beats a 50M expendable by 17x]] — V3's 100t payload changes the denominator in the $/kg calculation

**Extraction hints:**
- When flight result is known: update claim on Starship V3 capability with first-flight data
- New claim candidate if V3 performs: "Starship V3 at 100+ tonnes to LEO increases the payload denominator 3x over V2, driving $/kg down by a comparable factor independent of reuse rate improvements"

## Curator Notes
PRIMARY CONNECTION: [[Starship achieving routine operations at sub-100 dollars per kg is the single largest enabling condition for the entire space industrial economy]]
WHY ARCHIVED: First V3 flight is the empirical test of the keystone variable enabler; result will determine whether V3 spec claims are validated or need revision
EXTRACTION HINT: Hold until Flight 12 result. Then: was payload capacity demonstrated? Did Raptor 3 achieve expected thrust? Update the $/kg cost curve calculation if data is available.


## Key Facts
- Starship Flight 12 targets April 9, 2026 (early March estimate)
- First V3 booster: Super Heavy B19
- First V3 ship: Starship S39
- Raptor 3 thrust: ~280 tonnes each (22% more than Raptor 2)
- Raptor 3 weight reduction: ~2,425 lbs lighter per engine vs Raptor 2
- V3 stated payload: 100+ tonnes to LEO
- V2 payload capacity: ~35 tonnes to LEO (non-reusable configuration)
- 40,000+ seconds of Raptor 3 static fire testing accumulated by March 2026
- B18 (first V3 booster) had anomaly during pressure testing March 2, 2026 - no engines/propellant involved
- Flight 12 will use new Orbital Launch Pad 2 (OLP-2) for first time
- V3 targets full vehicle reusability including ship catch
